Statement of Faith
The Word of God
We believe that the Holy Bible is the written Word of God, the record of God’s revelation of Himself to
man, to be accepted as inerrant and inspired in its entirety. The Bible is the basis for this Statement of
Faith.
Is. 40:7-8; Matt. 5:8; Acts 3:18; 1 Cor. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21
The Son of God
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin; that
He lived in this world—yet without sin; that He was crucified and in His death bore the sins of all men
of all time; that He was buried and on the third day rose from the dead, thus establishing redemption
for all men who accept Him as Savior; that He ascended unto God the Father and will come again to
receive unto Himself the redeemed, passing judgment on all who reject Him as Savior.
Matt. 1:18; 26:47-28:20; John 1:1-5, 14; 8:54-59; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 1:14; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:26-28
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity; that He is ever-present to convict the
unbeliever, to draw them to Christ, and to comfort, strengthen, and direct the believer.
Gen. 1:1-2; Luke 1:13-15; John 14:16-26; 15:26; 16:8-14; Acts 5:3-4; 30-32; Rom. 8:11, 14, 27; 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 1:11-13; 4:30; 5:18; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21
The Nature of Man, Sin and Salvation
We believe that every man is born with a nature to sin and that he lives under the condemnation of sin
and needs to be saved; that salvation is a work of grace, received when the unbeliever repents of his
sins, believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and accepts Him as his personal Savior; and that salvation is a
present and permanent possession.
All men will be bodily resurrected and face eternity. Those who die without this free gift of salvation,
who live their lives in the sin which they were born in, will face an eternal and literal hell, in which
they will be in torment forever. This Hell is the Lake of Fire which was prepared for the devil and his
angels. The man who believes in the gift of God by grace through faith will spend his eternity in
Heaven, the place of the presence of God.
Gen. 1:26-27; 2:7; 3:1-24; John 3:3; 8:44; Rom. 3:10-23; 5:12-19; Gal. 3:22; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:22-24; Col. 3:5-10; Rev. 20:1-15; 21:1-27
The Church
We believe that the word “Church” in the Bible conveys a basic meaning: an assembly of called-out
believers in Jesus Christ that are gathered together to fulfill His purposes on earth until His return. The
Scriptures have revealed two senses to this meaning, that of the Body Prospective and the Church
Local.
Matt. 16:18-19; Matt. 18:17
The Prospective Body - We believe that at the moment of salvation each believer is placed
within the prospective body of Christ. All believers are in this spiritual union, which is the body
of Christ that is yet to be revealed in heaven and is not revealed at this time. This aspect of
the church is the collective body of believers from Christ to the Rapture, to be assembled in
heaven, known in the Scriptures as “the bride of Christ.”
Eph. 5:23-32; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 19:7-10
The Local Church - We believe that the local church is the true functioning body of Christ for
this time. It is an organization of believers in Jesus Christ, committed to the authority of Jesus
Christ in the church, baptized by immersion, seeking the Lord’s direction and leadership for the
church, and has all the authority that is described for the church by God in the Scriptures. The
Local Church is the body of Christ that expresses the will of God in the collective action of its
members as they yield to God and Scriptural instruction.
Acts 2:46-27; 5:11; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 12:28; 14:4-5; 1 Tim. 3:15; Rev. 1:4; 22:16
The Functions of the Church - We believe there are many functions that the Lord has
established for the Church in His Word, but these five functions are of supreme importance:
• Evangelizing the world with the gospel of Christ Matt. 28:19-20
• Guiding its members to spiritual growth and maturity in Christ Eph. 4:12-14
• Being the pillar and support of the truth I Tim. 3:15
• Providing for the fellowship of its members I Cor. 12:20-27
• Administering the ordinances of the church given by Christ: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Matt. 28:19-20; I Cor. 11:23-28
The Ordinances
We believe that Baptism is the immersion in water of a professed believer in the name of the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believers’ faith in a crucified,
buried, and risen Savior, and his own death to sin, the burial of his old life, and his resurrection to a
new life in Jesus Christ.
Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34; Acts 2:40-42; Rom. 6:3-4; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27
We believe that the Lord’s Supper is an act of obedience whereby members of this body of Christ in
obedience to His command partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine to commemorate the
sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ, looking forward to His coming.
1 Cor. 11:23-28
The Second Coming
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return bodily to the earth as the Scriptures state. The Lord
will first return for His people, at a time known only by God, in the air, catching them up bodily into
heaven. This “Rapture” will take place quickly and without warning. After the Rapture, the earth will
experience the Seven-year Tribulation Period followed by the physical return of Christ as He touches
the earth. After the physical return of Christ, He will reign over the earth for a thousand years in His
Millennial Kingdom. After a brief rebellion by Satan, the Lord will gain final victory over Satan, cast
him, death and hell into the Lake of Fire, and a New Heaven and a New Earth will be established for all
eternity. (The Scriptures clearly teach these events and are to be interpreted literally and not
figuratively.) We also believe that each church member must maintain a balanced view on the subject
of prophecy and not allow their views to disrupt their holy walk on this earth while awaiting the Lord’s
return.
Jeremiah 30:7; Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-25; 25:41-46; Luke 16:19-31; 1 Cor. 15:50-58; 2 Cor. 5:29; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Rev. 19:11-19; 20:11-15